Riveting Photos Of Retired Subway Cars Being Dropped Into The Ocean

What actually happens to all those old subway cars that are retired from the New York City subway? One might suspect they’re sent off to the salvage yard where they’ll be scrapped for metal and spare parts before they arrive at their final resting place in some landfill outside of town. While some of that assumption is true, the subway cars actually go on to serve a meaningful (and environmentally friendly) life as artificial reefs on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.

A similar program was launched in the early 2000’s, but was placed on moratorium until further research could be conducted to ensure the safety of the cars presence in the ocean. After research showed the cars posed no threat to the environment, the ban was lifted and several states began accepting retired NYC subways cars to develop artificial reefs along their coastlines.

Mallon’s Next Stop Atlantic has been met with widespread acclaim and has been featured in international exhibitions. The series is currently scheduled for an exhibition at NYU’s Kimmel Galleries as part of the Patterns Of Interest show. The exhibition will run from February 6th, 2015 through March 15th, 2015.

There should be a follow-up in a year to see the sea life that inhabits the subway cars in this artificial reef, with some tips on underwater photography thrown in for good measure. The most noted example, of course, is the Rolls Royce dropped off Palm Beach in 1985.